Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Universaux structurés'

La méréologie est la discipline qui s'intéresse aux relations entre une partie et son tout et entre parties au sein d'un même tout. Selon la théorie la plus communément utilisée, appelée "méréologie classique extensionnelle", une entité ne peut être partie d'une autre entité qu'une seule fois. Par exemple, votre cœur n'est qu'une seule fois partie de votre corps. Ce principe a été remis en question par certains travaux antérieurs. En effet, il n'est pas possible de décrire la structure méréologique de certaines entités, telles que les universaux structurés ou les types de mots, dans le cadre de la méréologique classique extensionnelle. Ces entités peuvent avoir plusieurs fois la même partie. Par exemple, l'universel de molécule d'eau (H2O) a comme partie l'universel d'atome d'hydrogène (H) deux fois, alors qu'une molécule d'eau particulière a comme parties deux atomes d'hydrogène distincts. Dans ce travail, nous suivons la piste ouverte par Karen Bennett en 2013. Bennett a ébauché une nouvelle méréologie qui permette de représenter la structure méréologique de ces entités. Dans sa théorie, être une partie d'une entité, c'est remplir un "slot" de cette entité. Ainsi, dans le mot "patate", la lettre "a" est partie du mot deux fois, parce qu'elle occupe deux "slots" de ce mot : le deuxième et le quatrième. La proposition de Bennett est innovante en cela qu'elle offre un cadre général, qui n'est pas restreint à un type d'entités. Toutefois, la théorie souffre de plusieurs problèmes. D'abord, elle est limitée : de nombreuses notions de méréologie classique n'y ont pas d'équivalent, telles que la somme méréologique ou l'extensionnalité. Ensuite, parce que la théorie, par son axiomatique, provoque des problèmes de comptage. Ainsi, l'universel d'électron n'est partie que sept fois de l'universel de méthane, au lieu des dix fois qui sont attendues. Nous avons proposé une solution dont le principe est que les slots doivent être dupliqués autant de fois que nécessaires pour obtenir un comptage correct. Cette duplication est opérée grâce à un mécanisme appelé "contextualisation", qui permet de copier les slots en rajoutant un contexte supplémentaire. Ainsi, nous avons établi une théorie permettant de représenter des entités qui peuvent avoir plusieurs la même partie tout en évitant les problèmes de comptage. Nous avons développé une méréologie des slots sur la base de cette théorie, c'est-à-dire une théorie représentant des relations méréologiques entre slots. Ainsi, nous avons pu développer les diverses notions présentes en méréologie classique, telles que la supplémentation, l'extensionnalité, la somme et la fusion méréologiques. Cette proposition fournit une méréologie très expressive et logiquement bien fondée qui permettra d'explorer, dans de futurs travaux, des questions complexes soulevées dans la littérature scientifique. En effet, certaines entités ne peuvent pas être différenciées par leurs seules structures méréologiques, mais requièrent de représenter des relations additionnelles entre leurs parties. Notre théorie méréologique offre des outils et des pistes permettant d'explorer de telles questions
Mereology is the discipline concerned with the relationships between a part and its whole and between parts within a whole. According to the most commonly used theory, "classical extensional mereology", an entity can only be part of another one once. For example, your heart is part once of your body. Some earlier works have challenged this principle. Indeed, it is impossible to describe the mereological structure of certain entities, such as structural universals or word types, within the framework of classical extensional mereology. These entities may have the same part several times over. For example, the universal of water molecule (H2O) has as part the universal of hydrogen atom (H) twice, while a particular water molecule has two distinct hydrogen atoms as parts. In this work, we follow the track opened by Karen Bennett in 2013. Bennett sketched out a new mereology to represent the mereological structure of these entities. In her theory, to be a part of an entity is to fill a "slot" of that entity. Thus, in the word "potato", the letter "o" is part of the word twice because it occupies two "slots" of that word: the second and the sixth. Bennett's proposal is innovative in offering a general framework that is not restricted to one entity type. However, the theory has several problems. Firstly, it is limited: many notions of classical mereology have no equivalent, such as mereological sum or extensionality. Secondly, the theory's axiomatics give rise to counting problems. For example, the electron universal is only part of the methane universal seven times instead of the expected ten times. We have proposed a solution based on the principle that slots must be duplicated as often as necessary to obtain a correct count. This duplication is achieved through a mechanism called "contextualisation", which allows slots to be copied by adding context. In this way, we have established a theory for representing entities that may have the same part multiple times while avoiding counting problems. We have developed a mereology of slots based on this theory, which is a theory representing mereological relationships between slots. In this way, we have developed the various notions present in classical mereology, such as supplementation, extensionality, mereological sum and fusion. This proposal provides a very expressive and logically sound mereology that will enable future work to explore complex issues raised in the scientific literature. Indeed, some entities cannot be differentiated by their mereological structures alone but require the representation of additional relationships between their parts. Our mereological theory offers tools and avenues to explore such questions

Une explication adequate des phenomenes syntaxiques du pulaar (dialecte peul) doit necessairement faire appel a la semantique et aux donnees de la pragmatique. La these evalue des hypotheses emises par differentes theories des universaux du langage, liees a ces niveaux linguistiques
An adequate explanation of the syntactic phenomena of pulaar (fula) must necessarily take in account facts of semantics and pragmatics. The thesis evaluates some hypotheses claimed by different theories of language universals related to these linguistic levels

The theory of operads is a conceptual framework that has become a kind of universal language, relating branches of topology and algebra. This thesis uses the operadic framework to study the derived algebraic properties of polyvector fields on manifolds.The thesis is divided into eight chapters. The first is an introduction to the thesis and the research field to which it belongs, while the second chapter surveys the basic mathematical results of the field.The third chapter is devoted to a novel construction of differential graded operads, generalizing an earlier construction due to Thomas Willwacher. The construction highlights and explains several categorical properties of differential graded algebras (of some kind) that come equipped with an action by a differential graded Lie algebra. In particular, the construction clarifies the deformation theory of such algebras and explains how such algebras can be twisted by Maurer-Cartan elements.The fourth chapter constructs an explicit strong homotopy deformation of polynomial polyvector fields on affine space, regarded as a two-colored noncommutative Gerstenhaber algebra. It also constructs an explicit strong homotopy quasi-isomorphism from this deformation to the canonical two-colored noncommmutative Gerstenhaber algebra of polydifferential operators on the affine space. This explicit construction generalizes Maxim Kontsevich's formality morphism.The main result of the fifth chapter is that the deformation of polyvector fields constructed in the fourth chapter is (generically) nontrivial and, in a sense, the unique such deformation. The proof is based on some cohomology computations involving Kontsevich's graph complex and related complexes. The chapter ends with an application of the results to properties of a derived version of the Duflo isomorphism.The sixth chapter develops a general mathematical framework for how and when an algebraic structure on the germs at the origin of a sheaf on Cartesian space can be "globalized" to a corresponding algebraic structure on the global sections over an arbitrary smooth manifold. The results are applied to the construction of the fourth chapter, and it is shown that the construction globalizes to polyvector fields and polydifferential operators on an arbitrary smooth manifold.The seventh chapter combines the relations to graph complexes, explained in chapter five, and the globalization theory of chapter six, to uncover a representation of the Grothendieck-Teichmüller group in terms of A-infinity morphisms between Poisson cohomology cochain complexes on a manifold.Chapter eight gives a simplified version of a construction of a family of Drinfel'd associators due to Carlo Rossi and Thomas Willwacher. Our simplified construction makes the connections to multiple zeta values more transparent--in particular, one obtains a fairly explicit family of evaluations on the algebra of formal multiple zeta values, and the chapter proves certain basic properties of this family of evaluations.

Agency theory proposes that the role of the board of directors is to control management (Fama & Jensen 1983). A structurally independent board, one with a high percentage of non-executive directors and a chairperson who is not the CEO, has been used as a proxy for the control role. Therefore, agency theory predicts a positive relationship between independent board structure and firm performance. These predictions have not been confirmed by meta-analytic reviews (Dalton, Daily, Ellstrand, & Johnson 1998; Rhoades, Rechner, & Sundaramurthy 2000). This thesis applies structural contingency theory to provide an alternative explanation for the relationship between board structure and firm performance. Structural contingency theory (Donaldson 2001) proposes that the relationship between an organization???s structure and its performance is moderated by contingencies. In this study the contingency is the salience of the board???s control role. I argue that structural independence of the board has a beneficial effect on performance only if it is in fit with control salience. For example, a firm with an independently structured board that gives high prominence to the control role will perform well. On the other hand, another firm with a less independently structured board that does not see its main role as controlling management will also prosper. Survey data were analyzed to measure the control salience for 98 Australian listed companies. Archival data provided measures of board structure and firm performance. Consistent with the meta-analytic reviews, there was no association between independent board structure and firm performance. There was some evidence that high control salience resulted in high performance, but this effect was evident chiefly when performance was measured by total shareholder returns. This may indicate that the share market was responding to the symbolism of high control salience. In contrast to the symbolic main effect of control salience, the fit between the control salience and the independent structure of the board caused increased return on equity. This reflects the board???s objective effect on profit when its structure is in fit with control salience.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 57) and index.
We investigate a new approach to origami design using simple universal hinge patterns where the crease patterns for different shapes are just different subsets of a common hinge pattern. Several algorithms have previously been developed to design folded states for particular shapes, but they require a different crease pattern for each shape. Our motivations include the development of robotic "origami transformers," artistic tools, and theoretical insights. We show how to compose "cube gadgets" to fold any N-cube polycube from an O(N) x O(N) rectangle of paper, using only O(N 2 ) time to compute the parameters of the unambiguous folding sequence. We also describe extensions of our basic algorithm to larger classes of shapes with improved paper efficiency. Finally, we demonstrate that an implementation of this technique can actually be used to partially automate geometric paper folding.
by Aviv Ovadya.
M.Eng.

This thesis investigates the possibility of a computer checked language for categories with extra structure; the language is to describe objects and morphisms of those categories and to reason about them. We do so first by developing an abstract analysis of representability. This is followed by the investigation of a categorical framework for studying type theory. Our computer checked language therefore allows us to reason about the semantics of programming languages and models of logics. In order to provide our computer checked language, we need to classify categories with extra structure. Traditionally, that has been done in terms of equational structure, or more generally, essentially algebraic structure. That has proved to be somewhat awkward, both conceptually and computationally, so we give an alternative development of categories with extra structure in terms of universal structure, universality being the most important and most central concept of category theory. This unifies many of the concepts of the category theory, in particular many of those of greatest interest to computer scientists, such as cartesian closed structure, fibrations with extra structure, limits, colimits, and natural numbers objects. We use our definition of universal structure to develop a computer checked language in the proof system LEGO. We further give an abstract development of universal structure by showing how the concept of fibrations with extra structure may be seen in terms of universal structure. We continue by an investigation of the use of category theory within computer science. One of the principle uses, perhaps the deepest use, is to provide a semantics for type theory. We give a unified treatment of those categories with extra structure that are needed for the semantics of type theory, thus allowing us to use our computer checked language to reason about the semantics of programs, via use of the underlying type theory of a programming language. It also allows us a semantic study of logics, via use of their corresponding type theories as given by the Curry-Howard isomorphism. This provides what we call a categorical framework for type theory. It extends the relationship between typed lambda calculus and cartesian closed categories, allowing us, for instance, to account for dependent types, as they appear in some programming languages and proof systems such as LEGO, with its underlying type system the Extended Calculus of Constructions. Finally we illustrate our categorical framework with its universal structures by study of the fibration of 'deliverables'.

This thesis concerns the study of chiral algebras over schemes of arbitrary dimension n. In Chapter I, we construct a chiral algebra over each smooth variety X of dimension n. We do this via the Hilbert scheme of points of X, which we use to build a factorisation space over X. Linearising this space produces a factorisation algebra over X, and hence, by Koszul duality, the desired chiral algebra. We begin the chapter with an overview of the theory of factorisation and chiral algebras, before introducing our main constructions. We compute the chiral homology of our factorisation algebra, and show that the D-modules underlying the corresponding chiral algebras form a universal D-module of dimension n. In Chapter II, we discuss the theory of universal D-modules and OO- modules more generally. We show that universal modules are equivalent to sheaves on certain stacks of étale germs of n-dimensional varieties. Furthermore, we identify these stacks with the classifying stacks of groups of automorphisms of the n-dimensional disc, and hence obtain an equivalence between the categories of universal modules and the representation categories of these groups. We also define categories of convergent universal modules and study them from the perspectives of the stacks of étale germs and the representation theory of the automorphism groups.

The fidelity of an organism’s genome is central to biology. DNA, however, is constantly being damaged and modified by a variety of sources. As a result of these changes, repair enzymes, polymerases, and other interrogating biomolecules must be able to recognize, repair, and adapt to a multitude of different structures and dynamics presented. Manipulation of natural systems via the development and introduction of novel bases and DNA structures only adds to this complexity. In addition, specific RNA sequences are becoming more prevalent therapeutic and diagnostic targets. These include retroviruses and other viruses that maintain their genome with RNA. Unlike DNA, RNA poses a unique challenge as targets due to their highly diverse secondary and tertiary structures. In this manuscript, three different nucleic acid systems were chosen to investigate how intramolecular and intermolecular interactions impact their own structure as well as giving further insight into how nucleic acids are recognized and distorted by interrogating damage specific enzymes as well as structure specific proteins.

The function of a routing algorithm is to guide packets through the communication network to the correct destinations. The goal of this study was to design and to analyze a loop-free fast-convergence routing algorithm. The introduction consisted of a general framework on which the algorithm was based. This general model formed the basis of a proposal for a routing protocol suitable to heterogeneous environments. This research focused on link-state algorithms. The subject of this investigation was a new routing algorithm called fast convergence algorithm (FEA). FEA did not only reduce the number of cases in which a temporary routing loop could occur but also was designed to be loop free at every instant. The hierarchical characteristics of FEA allowed the new algorithm to handle aggregation of routing information, a technique that was mandatory for accommodating the increasing number of Internet users. FEA was shown to converge in finite time after an arbitrary sequence of link cost or topological changes and to outperform all other loop-free routing algorithms already proposed. In FEA, each router maintained a subset of the topology corresponding to the links used by its neighbor routers in their preferred paths to known destinations. Based on that subset of topology information, routers derived their own preferred paths and communicated the corresponding link-state information to their neighbors. Simulations were used to show FEA to be much more efficient than the diffusing update algorithm and the shortest path algorithm in terms of speed, communication and processing overhead required to converge to correct routing tables. FEA’s correctness was verified for arbitrary types of routing when correct and deterministic algorithms were used to select preferred paths at each router. To increase the responsiveness of a routing protocol and to guarantee the quality of service required by users, FEA integrated routing and congestion control mechanisms. This feature ensured that packets arriving into a packet-switched network were delivered unless a resource failure occurred. This technique ensured a high level of performance for network flows. Update messages from a node were sent only to its neighbors. Each such message contained a distance vector of one or more entries, and each entry specified the length of the selected path to a network destination, as well as an indication of whether the entry constituted an update, a query, or a reply to a previous query.

This thesis in clinical psychology has two main parts, answering the two main research problems. This scientific project includes visualization of neural pathways connecting the primary olfactory centre to higher association regions in a small insect brain for the purpose of comparing anatomical organization of the olfactory system in species of different taxa. The noctuid moth Heliothis virescens, which is particularly well adapted to chemical communication, is used as model organism. By utilizing the technique of fluorescent staining combined with confocal microscopy, the three main antennocerebral tracts and their target areas, the lateral protocerebrum and calyces of mushroom bodies, are labeled and visualized. The second part of the thesis includes a relatively comprehensive theoretical discussion of universal principles of olfactory structural organization across taxa. This discussion is founded on the experimental investigation (using the anatomy of Heliothis virescens as a basis for comparison, and keeping its main focus on the olfactory structures identified by confocal microscopy), but is not limited to this. It is a general discussion of organizational principles in vertebrates and invertebrates, and includes research on other organisms and olfactory structures beyond what was identified in the experimental study. Clear evidence of universal principles of structural – and functional olfactory organization is found, and it is argued that the study of different taxa is a way for psychologists to gain further knowledge about human behavior.

This thesis confronts the ultimate limits of perceiving the constructed world and the limits of our ability to experience architecture. The imperative of architecture is poetic: to and project encounters between matter and energy that shape the existing and bring forth the as yet unimagined to form a continuing human world. This is explored through the imagining of a habitat and vessel that projects the human endeavor of architecture into the formless depth of space. In drawing the physical from the void, the page becomes a way to move architecture from non-existence into the real by means of the imagination. An imagined wold is drawn from the void in search of the center for a universal and humanist architecture. The thesis is conceived as a vehicle for drawing the limits of perception when we attempt to imagine that which is greater than ourselves.
Master of Architecture

Black youth are diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at a higher rate than their White peers. The process of diagnosing young students with ADHD relies heavily on teacher recommendations that are frequently based on perceptions of behavior, to which the assessment of may be influenced by racial bias. A child’s ethnicity has been shown to have an impact on teacher descriptions of ADHD-related behavior (Epstein, Willoughby, Valencia, Tonev, Abikoff, Arnold, Hinshaw, 2005) such that in this study African American students were perceived by their teachers as more likely to have ADHD than their Caucasian peers. Research has also shown that the typical fifth-grade classroom is a low verve setting that is restrictive to communal learning (Johnson, 1982), while high verve settings have been shown to improve the academic functioning for many Black students (Bailey & Boykin, 2001; Carter, Hawkins, & Natesan, 2008; Young, 2017). By measuring the difference in teachers’ likelihood to recommend a described student for ADHD in both a traditional and high-verve classrooms, this study aims to investigate the role of verve in how teachers perceive Black students in relation to ADHD characteristics. The primary aim is to examine how increased task variability and a high verve classroom can shift teacher ratings of Black students’ abilities and lessen the degree of racialized difference of behavior-dependent diagnoses of ADHD. It is predicted that in the high verve setting these recommendations for Black students will drop significantly so that they will be equal to that of White students, reflecting the accurate prevalence of this learning disability.

Leo Strauss resurrected a life-approach of the ancient Greeks and reformulated it as an alternative to the existentialism of his age that grew out of a radicalized historicism. He attempted to resuscitate the tenability of a universal grounded in nature (nature understood in a comprehensive experiential sense not delimited to the physical, sensibly-perceived world alone) that was historically malleable. Through reengagement with Plato and Socrates and by addressing the basic premises built into the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger, Strauss resurrected poetry (art, or the mythos) that Enlightenment thinkers had discarded, and displayed its reasonableness on a par with the modern scientific approach as an animating informer of life. He thereby placed philosophy in a place subservient to poetry/the mythos, as had the ancients.

This study has designed a theoretical mapping of complex element relationships within the field of physical security. The main purpose of the mapping is to form individual knowledge structures for modelling and provide a relative understanding of overall risk based on different combinations of physical security arrangements. An understanding of overall risk for modelling purposes should lead to improvements in providing support for decision making within this field. The final series of knowledge structures in this study have been represented by value matrices for element pair assessments within the topic of physical security. The values that have been presented in the knowledge matrices have been gathered from expert opinion and converted to numerical data as a demonstration for a holistic approach to modelling physical security elements. A profile for each respondent and each category group has been developed to be compared for their degree of similarity with other profiles. A correlation technique provides an indication of the degree of consensus within the results.

La region au nord de milan a ete definie le centre du croissant protoindustriel italien. Notre recherche vise a analyser la mise en place d'un tissus industriel dans le campagnes du haut milanais entre 16 et 17 siecles. La recherche a montre la presence dans cette region de plusieurs formes d'industrie rurale qui relevent de differentes logiques et a montre aussi que les changements qui interviennent dans la division regional du travail sont etroitement lies a l'evolution de la position international de la lombardie. La mise en place du dispositif protoindustriel s'accompagne a une transformation profonde des formes de gestion de la terre et de la societe paysanne, transformation que l'historiographie avait traditionnellement attribue a la diffusion du filage de la soie a partir de la moitie du 18 siecle. Dans la plaine on enregistre une polarisation entre les familles complexes des moyens locataires et les familles nucleaires des petits locataires et des journaliers. La proletarisation de la population paysanne est un facteur important dans l'expansion d'un tissus protoindustriel, mais il faut souligner aussi le role de la disponibilite en matieres premieres et en voies de communication
The dissertation discuss the development of various kind of rural industrial activities in the countryside of lombardy between sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The 'lake discrict' and the plain north of milan have been, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the core of the protoindustry of northern italy, yet the development of rural industry during the previous period - the period of the spanish ruleis surprisingly little known. We discuss the chronology of the implantation of various activities (woll, cotton, silk, metallurgical industry), their relation with the declining urban industries, theri organization and their agricultural context. A special attention is devolved to the family structures and the vider social context. The results of this research can contribute to correct same accepted views about two problems strictly connected; the decline of the urban economies of central and northern italy during the early modern age and the late industrialisation of italy

Due to widespread bank scandals and failures around the world, there has been renewed interest in the effect of corporate governance on bank performance. The majority of research concerning corporate governance and its effect on bank performance has been undertaken in developed countries and markets, particularly the USA and European Union but relatively little evidence is provided in Sub Saharan Africa, specifically, Ghana. This study investigates the effects of corporate governance on financial performance of Ghanaian universal banking companies during the period 2006- 2014. This study primarily employs relevant governance theories to investigate the relationship between corporate governance and bank performance. Multiple regression panel data analysis and other appropriate methods are the main tools of analysis in this study. The empirical investigation revealed a mixed set of results. The findings showed that board size, board composition, bank size and foreign ownership are positively but insignificantly related to profitability in terms of return on asset and return on equity, while board committees have a positive and statistically significant impact on financial performance which is consistent with the monitoring hypothesis of agency theory which argues that board committees are an important mechanism of corporate governance in Ghana which impact on bank performance. This study contributes to the increasing number of research studies on the link between bank performance and corporate governance. The lacked of clarity, mixed and permanent relationships provided, show that the association the association between bank performance and different corporate governance mechanisms is complex and dynamic optimal governance arrangements may differ from bank to bank in relation to governance characteristics.

Due to widespread bank scandals and failures around the world, there has been renewed interest in the effect of corporate governance on bank performance. The majority of research concerning corporate governance and its effect on bank performance has been undertaken in developed countries and markets, particularly the USA and European Union but relatively little evidence is provided in Sub Saharan Africa, specifically, Ghana. This study investigates the effects of corporate governance on financial performance of Ghanaian universal banking companies during the period 2006- 2014. This study primarily employs relevant governance theories to investigate the relationship between corporate governance and bank performance. Multiple regression panel data analysis and other appropriate methods are the main tools of analysis in this study. The empirical investigation revealed a mixed set of results. The findings showed that board size, board composition, bank size and foreign ownership are positively but insignificantly related to profitability in terms of return on asset and return on equity, while board committees have a positive and statistically significant impact on financial performance which is consistent with the monitoring hypothesis of agency theory which argues that board committees are an important mechanism of corporate governance in Ghana which impact on bank performance. This study contributes to the increasing number of research studies on the link between bank performance and corporate governance. The lacked of clarity, mixed and permanent relationships provided, show that the association the association between bank performance and different corporate governance mechanisms is complex and dynamic optimal governance arrangements may differ from bank to bank in relation to governance characteristics.

Human rights advocates have expressed their concern about the marginalisation of human rights principles and the actual or potential human rights implications of WTO agreements. The international economic law and human rights law have been developed as two parallel regimes, yet trade and economics have been at the centre of most developing agendas in modern time. There has been a persistent desire to achieve a universal multilateral trading system by both Global North and Global South. The Agenda 2030 is not an exception to emphasise the importance of such a trading system as one of its targets calls for a ‘universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory, and equitable multilateral trading system’. Furthermore, the desired multilateral trading system is presumed to facilitate other development goals of the Agenda. Although peoples’ living standards are increasing worldwide, substantial inequalities remain between and within countries. If we only focus on legal rights and freedoms, people may live on the verge of an adequate standard of living and are thus not able to improve one’s well-being beyond that and lead the life one has reason to value. Hence, this study aims to go beyond the legislative protection of human rights by applying Amartya Sen’s capability approach which focuses on the ethical notion of human rights. Additionally, the approach focuses on the expansion of peoples’ capabilities and freedoms to achieve what one value doing and being. If a universal multilateral trading system is assumed to be beneficial for trade, economy, and to achieve development goals, will the outcomes of such system be beneficial for all peoples’ capabilities to lead the lives they have reason to value? The main findings of this study suggest that the political economy of world trade facilitates a subordination of countries in which some are benefitted, while others are stuck with the production of goods associated with low wages and unhealthy work conditions. This may affect the distribution of intergenerational equity and sustainability, affecting capabilities of many generations to come. One significant conclusion of this study is that legislative protection of human rights is not enough to target detrimental structures and to ensure everyone the kind of life and living standards one has reason to value.

M.Tech. (Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology), Vaal University of Technology
This research investigated the structural bond strength of GFRP rebars in concrete beams under dynamic loading with the aim to characterize the structural bond behaviour and evaluate the limitations of the GFRP rebars under dynamic loading. The dynamic loading in this study was set at 500 repeating cycles to simulate a more realistic dynamic loading scenario such as earthquake since most dynamic loading studies are carried under ten repeating cycles. The experimental work was divided into 2 main tests which were firstly, the tensile tests of the GFRP rebars in order to evaluate the tensile strength of the rebars and characterize their properties. Secondly, the flexural tests of GFRP and steel reinforced concrete beams in order to evaluate the bond strength of GFRP and steel rebars, to characterize the average bond strength of GFRP and steel reinforced concrete beams under dynamic loading and finally to compare the average bond strength of GFRP rebars to Steel rebars in both dynamic and static loadings. The tensile tests were carried out using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) and the results of the tensile tests of the GFRP rebars showed that the average experimental tensile strength of GFRP rebars was only 56.65% of the nominal tensile strength provided on the supplier data sheet. As for flexural tests, they were carried out through a four-point bending test using a UTM in conjunction with a universal dynamic shaker to create the dynamic loading set up. Steel reinforced concrete beams were used as control beams during the tests and factors such as the tensile strength of the GFRP rebars, the slip of the rebars, the load-deflection relationship and the stress-strain relationship were investigated. The results of the tests showed that the tensile strength of the GFRP rebar is strongly proportional to the maximum beam load bearing capacity and the maximum stresses of GFRP reinforced concrete beams. The results also showed that the average bond strength of GFRP rebars in static loading (8.44 MPa) was only 80% of the average bond strength in dynamic loading (10.95 MPa). Moreover, the experimental work showed that the failure of GFRP reinforced concrete beams depicted large deflections (19 mm) and slips (5 mm to 12.5 mm) when compared to steel reinforced concrete beams (for which the maximum deflection was 9.66 mm at failure and slippage values of 2 mm to 10 mm). Based on that it could be stipulated that the tensile strength of GFRP rebars is one determinant factor to the bond strength behaviour of GFRP rebars in concrete. Hence, the structural bond behaviour of GFRP rebars could be well-defined if more studies were done on the bond behaviour of GFRP rebars in concrete beams under dynamic loading using another type of GFRP rebars that would consist of a relatively high tensile strength as compared to the ones used in this study and different surface texture.

A 'Subject Indexing Language' (SIL) is an artificial language used for formulating names of subjects. Although classificationists have sought for universals in many fields of study such as, philosophy, biology, general systems theory, etc., the search for a deep structure of SILs formally began with Ranganathan's idea of 'absolute syntax' and was brought to the present by G. Bhattacharyya and D. Austin. Whereas Bhattacharyya's deep structure of SIL is primarily based on classificatory principles (parallel to 'absolute syntax'), the deep structure proposed by Austin has a linguistic connotation. The present study describes and compares two such deep structurebased SILs, viz., PRECIS (PREserved Context Index System) and DSIS (Deep Structure Indexing System), a recent computerized version of POPSI (POstulate-based Permuted Subject Indexing), developed by F. J. Devadason at Documentation Research and Training Centre, Bangalore, India. Both also belong to the category of SILs typified as 'string indexing' languages. The study involves: i) writing of a suitable DSIS index entry generation program, ii) using both PRECIS (in-house) and DSIS programs to index a collection of representative sample documents from the soft sciences, iii) analyzing and comparing their respective syntactic and semantic aspects in terms of both linguistic and classificatory principles, and iv) applying some measures of efficiency and effectiveness. It was realized that certain modifications in the existing DSIS string manipulation algorithms are necessary to make the program fully operational. Although, no attempts have been made to quantify the measures of effectiveness and efficiency as such, suggestions have been provided as to what these probably would be. Some indications of their searching difficulties for a prospective searcher have been put forward as well.

Structure, fonction et évolution de la famille universelle Sua5/YrdC impliquée dans la synthèse du nucléoside modifié t6ALa t6A est universellement présente au sein des ARNt décodant les codons ANN et est essentielle pour la fidélité de traduction. Sa synthèse se déroule en deux étapes, dont la première implique la formation de l’intermédiaire de réaction Thréonyl-Carbamoyl-AMP (TC-AMP) par la famille Sua5/YrdC. Cette famille est retrouvée chez tous les organismes et était donc vraisemblablement présente chez le dernier ancêtre commun universel (LUCA). Elle est composée de deux variants distincts, YrdC et Sua5, qui partagent un domaine catalytique orthologue. A la différence du variant YrdC qui est composé d’un domaine unique, le variant Sua5 possède un domaine C-terminal additionnel nommé SUA5, de fonction inconnue. La plupart des espèces code pour un seul variant et les deux variants sont présents dans les trois domaines du vivant, Eucaryote, Archée et Bactérie. Afin d’identifier le rôle du domaine SUA5 et du linker inter-domaine, nous avons étudié la protéine Sua5 de l’archée Pyrococcus abyssi. Nos résultats montrent que ces deux régions sont importantes pour l’activité de Sua5. Le linker est capable de contrôler le passage des ligands en changeant de conformation tandis que le domaine SUA5 agit comme une plateforme d’ancrage pour le linker. Afin de comprendre l’histoire évolutive de la famille Sua5/YrdC, nous avons ensuite étudié la distribution des variants et nous avons utilisé des approches in silico et in vitro afin de déterminer les différences fonctionnelles entre YrdC et Sua5. L’ensemble de ces données nous permet de proposer que LUCA possédait une protéine Sua5 et qu’YrdC serait apparu suite à une perte de domaine dans certains lignées lors de l’évolution
Structure, function and evolution of the universal Sua5/YrdC family involved in the modified nucleoside t6A synthesist6A is universally found in tRNAs that read ANN codons and is essential for translation fidelity. Its synthesis takes place in two stages, the first one involving the formation of the reaction intermediate Threonyl-Carbamoyl-AMP (TC-AMP) by the Sua5/YrdC family. This family is found in all organisms and was thus presumably presents in the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA). It’s composed of two distinct variants, YrdC and Sua5, which share an orthologous catalytic domain. While YrdC is a single domain protein, Sua5 has an additional C-terminal domain of unknown function named SUA5. Most species encode for either variant and both variants are found in the three domains of life, Eukarya, Archaea and Bacteria. To discover the role of the SUA5 domain and the inter-domain linker, we studied the Sua5 protein from the archaeon Pyrococcus abyssi. We found that they are both important for the activity of Sua5. The linker is able to control the entry and exit of ligands by changing conformation while the SUA5 domain acts as an anchoring platform for the linker. To understand the evolutionary history of the Sua5/YrdC family, we then studied the distribution of Sua5 and YrdC across the tree of life and we used in silico and in vitro approaches to identify functional differences between YrdC and Sua5. Taken together, our work allows us to propose that LUCA encoded a Sua5 protein and that YrdC emerged after domain loss in some lineages during evolution

There is great interest in the development of new polar dielectric ceramics and multiferroic materials with new and improved properties. A family of tetragonal tungsten bronze (TTB) relaxors of composition Ba₆M³⁺Nb₉O₃₀ (M³⁺ = Ga³⁺, Sc³⁺ and In³⁺, and also their solid solutions) were studied in an attempt to understand their dielectric properties to enable design of novel polar TTB materials. A combination of electrical measurements (dielectric and impedance spectroscopy) and powder diffraction (X-ray and neutron) studies as a function of temperature was employed for characterising the dynamic dipole response in these materials. The effect of B-site doping on fundamental dipolar relaxation parameters were investigated by independently fitting the dielectric permittivity to the Vogel-Fulcher (VF) model, and the dielectric loss to Universal Dielectric Response (UDR) and Arrhenius models. These studies showed an increase in the characteristic dipole freezing temperature (T[subscript(f)]) with increase B-cation radius. Crystallographic data indicated a corresponding maximum in tetragonal strain at T[subscript(f)], consistent with the slowing and eventual freezing of dipoles. In addition, the B1 crystallographic site was shown to be most active in terms of the dipolar response. A more in-depth analysis of the relaxor behaviour of these materials revealed that, with the stepwise increase in the ionic radius of the M³⁺ cation on the B-site within the Sc-In solid solution series, the Vogel-Fulcher curves (lnf vs. T[subscript(m)]) are displaced to higher temperatures, while the degree of relaxor behaviour (frequency dependence) increases. Unfortunately, additional features appear in the dielectric spectroscopy data, dramatically affecting the Vogel-Fulcher fitting parameters. A parametric study of the reproducibility of acquisition and analysis of dielectric data was therefore carried out. The applicability of the Vogel-Fulcher expression to fit dielectric permittivity data was investigated, from the simple unrestricted (“free”) fit to a wider range of imposed values for the VF relaxation parameters that fit with high accuracy the experimental data. The reproducibility of the dielectric data and the relaxation parameters obtained by VF fitting were shown to be highly sensitive to the thermal history of samples and also the conditions during dielectric data acquisition (i.e., heating/cooling rate). In contrast, UDR analysis of the dielectric loss data provided far more reproducible results, and to an extent was able to partially deconvolute the additional relaxation processes present in these materials. The exact nature of these additional relaxations is not yet fully understood. It was concluded application of the Vogel-Fulcher model should be undertaken with great care. The UDR model may represent a feasible alternative to the evaluation of fundamental relaxation parameters, and a step forward towards the understanding of the dielectric processes in tetragonal tungsten bronzes.

La notion de T-radical d’un idéal permet à G.Cherlin de démontrer un Nullstellensatz dans les théories inductives d’anneaux. Nous proposons une analyse modèle-théorique de phénomènes connexes. En premier lieu, une réciproque de ce théorème nous conduit à une caractérisation des corps algébriquement clos, suggérant une version “positive” du travail de Cherlin, la théorie des idéaux T-radiciels. Ceux-ci se caractérisent par un théorème de représentation et sont associés à un théorème des zéros “positif”. Ces résultats se généralisent à la logique du premier ordre : grâce à la notion de classe spéciale, nous développons ensuite une théorie logique des idéaux. On peut encore parler d’idéaux premiers et radiciels, relativement à une classe de structures. Dans ce cadre, le théorème de représentation est une propriété intrinsèque des classes spéciales et le théorème des zéros une propriété de préservation logique, que nous appelons “complétude géométrique” et qui entretient des rapports étroits avec la modèle-complétude positive. Les algèbres basées en groupes de P.Higgins permettent d’appliquer ces résultats aux théories modèle-complètes de corps avec opérateurs additionnels. Dans certains cas “noethériens”, l’algèbre de coordonnées est un invariant algébrique des “variétés affines”. Enfin, il est possible à partir d’un ensemble de formules E de généraliser les classes spéciales et autres classes de structures. Notre théorie des idéaux logiques est de plus un cas particulier du phénomène de localisation étudié par M.Coste ; dans certaines situations, un bon choix de formules permet d’identifier les types complets d’une “algèbre” à des types de localisation
The notion of T-radical of an ideal allows G.Cherlin to prove a Nullstellensatz for inductive ring theories.We present here a model-theoretic analysis of closely related phenomena. At first, a reverse of this theorem leeds us to a characterization of algebraically closed fields, suggesting a “positive” version of Cherlin’s work, the theory of T-radical ideals. These are characterized by a representation theorem and associated to a “positive” Nullstellensatz. Those results are generalized to first order logic : thanks to the notion of special class, we then develop a logical theory of ideals. One may still speak about prime and radical ideals, relatively to a class of structures. In this setting, the representation theorem is an intrinsic property of special classes and the Nullstellensatz a logical preservation property, which we call “geometric completeness” and which is closely linked to positive model-completeness. The group-based algebras of P.Higgins allow us to apply these results to model-complete theories of fields with additional operators. In certain “noetherian” cases, the coordinate algebra is an algebraic invariant of “affine algebraic sets”. At last, it is possible from a set of formulas E to generalize special and other classes of structures. Moreover, our theory of logical ideals is a particular case of the localisation phenomenon studied by M.Coste ; in certain situations, a good choice of formulasleeds to an identification of the complete types of a given “algebra” with some localisation types

The rapid emergence of broadband, or always-on Internet, during the course of the last decade, has increased the importance of the so- called information society in urban and industrialized societies world- wide. Liberalized information and communications technology (ICT) market forces worldwide have however failed to supply these services to rural and low-income regions resulting in the so-called digital divide. One financial tool, adopted by many developing nations to drive broadband investments in underserved areas, is the universal service fund (USF), a public fund mainly levying its resources from ICT market players. USFs have previously been used to fund telecom networks but with the growing importance of broadband, structural and regulatory discrepancies are preventing USFs from adequately supporting broadband investments. Currently, little up-to-date academic theory exists within this field; thus, this thesis serves to outline principles that policy-makers and regulators need to consider when designing or reforming universal service fund mechanisms. The research is based on a series of qualitative country case studies investigating policy, procedural, and executional aspects related to USFs and rural broadband. Publicly available material has been complemented with interviews of stakeholders from various levels to establish a holistic empirical base upon which conclusions have been drawn. The conclusions outline principles governing public involvement in USFs, roles played by various stakeholders in the broadband ecosystem, and strategies for rural broadband network deployment.
Framfarten av bredband under det senaste årtiondet har ökat vikten av det så kallade informationssamhället i de industrialiserade och urbaniserade samhällen. Marknadskrafterna inom den liberaliserade informations- och kommunikationsindustrin har dock misslyckats med att göra dess tjänster tillgängliga till glesbefolkade och låginkomstregioner, vilket har lett till en digital klyfta. Ett finansiellt hjälpmedel som många utvecklingsländer har anammat för att påskynda bredbandsinvesteringar i regioner med få bredbandsuppkopplingar är fonder för samhällsomfattande tjänster (USF), som är en offentlig fond vilken får den största delen av sitt kapital genom en pålaga på intäkterna från aktörer inom informations- och kommunikationsindustrin. USF:er har tidigare använts för att finansiera telekomnätverk, men i takt med att bredbandets ökande genomslag i samhället har strukturella och regleringsmässiga problem med USF:erna uppdagats vilka hindrar dem från att effektivt stödja bredbandsinvesteringar. För närvarande finns lite akademisk teori på området, och sålunda syftar denna uppsatts till att tillhandahålla principer vilka beslutsfattare och regulatorer bör efterfölja vid utformning eller reformering av mekanismer för samhällsomfattande tjänster för bredband. Arbetet baseras på en serie kvalitativa fallstudier av länder med policy, procedurella och verkställande aspekter kopplade till USF:er i områden med få bredbandsuppkopplingar i fokus. Material tillgängligt för allmänheten har kompletterats med intervjuer av intressenter från olika organisations- och samhällsnivåer för att skapa en heltäckande empiri på området från vilka slutsatser har dragits. Slutsatserna innehåller principer som rör offentlig inblandning i USF:er, roller för samhällets olika intressenter i ett ekosystem för bredband, samt strategier för utbyggnad av bredbandsnätverk i glesbefolkade områden.

The Student Risk Screening Scale—Internalizing/Externalizing (SRSS-IE) was developed to screen elementary-aged students for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Its use has been extended to middle schools with little evidence that it measures the same constructs as in elementary schools. Scores of a middle school population from the SRSS-IE are analyzed with Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MCFA) to examine its factor structure, factorial invariance between females and males, and its reliability. Several MCFA models are specified, and compared, with two retained for further analysis. The first model is a single-level model with chi-square and standard errors adjusted for the clustered nature of the data. The second model is a two-level model. Both support the hypothesized structure found in elementary populations of two factors (Externalizing and Internalizing). All items load on only one factor except Peer Rejection, which loads on both. Reliability is estimated for both models using several methods, which result in reliability coefficients ranging between .89-.98. Both models also show evidence of Configural, Metric, and Scalar invariance between females and males. While more research is needed to provide other kinds of evidence of validity in middle school populations, results from this study indicate that the SRSS-IE is an effective screening tool for EBD.

Le récent essor des algorithmes d'apprentissage automatique a rendu les méthodes de Traitement Automatique des Langues d'autant plus sensibles à leur facteur le plus limitant : la qualité des systèmes repose entièrement sur la disponibilité de grandes quantités de données, ce qui n'est pourtant le cas que d'une minorité parmi les 7.000 langues existant au monde. La stratégie dite du transfert cross-lingue permet de contourner cette limitation : une langue peu dotée en ressources (la cible) peut être traitée en exploitant les ressources disponibles dans une autre langue (la source). Les progrès accomplis sur ce plan se limitent néanmoins à des scénarios idéalisés, avec des ressources cross-lingues prédéfinies et de bonne qualité, de sorte que le transfert reste inapplicable aux cas réels de langues peu dotées, qui n'ont pas ces garanties. Cette thèse vise donc à tirer parti d'une multitude de sources et ressources cross-lingues, en opérant une combinaison sélective : il s'agit d'évaluer, pour chaque aspect du traitement cible, la pertinence de chaque ressource. L'étude est menée en utilisant l'analyse en dépendance par transition comme cadre applicatif. Le cœur de ce travail est l'élaboration d'un nouveau méta-algorithme de transfert, dont l'architecture en cascade permet la combinaison fine des diverses ressources, en ciblant leur exploitation à l'échelle du mot. L'approche cross-lingue pure n'étant en l'état pas compétitive avec la simple annotation de quelques phrases cibles, c'est avant tout la complémentarité de ces méthodes que souligne l'analyse empirique. Une série de nouvelles métriques permet une caractérisation fine des similarités cross-lingues et des spécificités syntaxiques de chaque langue, de même que de la valeur ajoutée de l'information cross-lingue par rapport au cadre monolingue. L'exploitation d'informations typologiques s'avère également particulièrement fructueuse. Ces contributions reposent largement sur des innovations techniques en analyse syntaxique, concrétisées par la publication en open source du logiciel PanParser, qui exploite et généralise la méthode dite des oracles dynamiques. Cette thèse contribue sur le plan monolingue à plusieurs autres égards, comme le concept de cascades monolingues, pouvant traiter par exemple d'abord toutes les dépendances faciles, puis seulement les difficiles
As a result of the recent blossoming of Machine Learning techniques, the Natural Language Processing field faces an increasingly thorny bottleneck: the most efficient algorithms entirely rely on the availability of large training data. These technological advances remain consequently unavailable for the 7,000 languages in the world, out of which most are low-resourced. One way to bypass this limitation is the approach of cross-lingual transfer, whereby resources available in another (source) language are leveraged to help building accurate systems in the desired (target) language. However, despite promising results in research settings, the standard transfer techniques lack the flexibility regarding cross-lingual resources needed to be fully usable in real-world scenarios: exploiting very sparse resources, or assorted arrays of resources. This limitation strongly diminishes the applicability of that approach. This thesis consequently proposes to combine multiple sources and resources for transfer, with an emphasis on selectivity: can we estimate which resource of which language is useful for which input? This strategy is put into practice in the frame of transition-based dependency parsing. To this end, a new transfer framework is designed, with a cascading architecture: it enables the desired combination, while ensuring better targeted exploitation of each resource, down to the level of the word. Empirical evaluation dampens indeed the enthusiasm for the purely cross-lingual approach -- it remains in general preferable to annotate just a few target sentences -- but also highlights its complementarity with other approaches. Several metrics are developed to characterize precisely cross-lingual similarities, syntactic idiosyncrasies, and the added value of cross-lingual information compared to monolingual training. The substantial benefits of typological knowledge are also explored. The whole study relies on a series of technical improvements regarding the parsing framework: this work includes the release of a new open source software, PanParser, which revisits the so-called dynamic oracles to extend their use cases. Several purely monolingual contributions complete this work, including an exploration of monolingual cascading, which offers promising perspectives with easy-then-hard strategies

La connaissance des propriétés physico-chimiques des solutions de polymères utilisées en récupération assistée des hydrocarbures (RAH) est essentielle pour une bonne efficience du procédé. Ces travaux avaient pour but de conforter et enrichir un modèle de viscosité universelle dépendant du paramètre de recouvrement C[η] qui permet de prendre en compte l'occupation du milieu par les chaînes macromoléculaires (concentration d'enchevêtrement critique, C*, régimes dilué et semi-dilué). Les effets des microstructures, de la taille et de la composition des polymères ont été étudiés via la synthèse d'une librairie d'échantillons par polymérisation radicalaire contrôlée (RADT/MADIX) : polyacrylamides, copolymères statistiques et asymétriques acrylamide-acrylate de sodium, polyacrylamides post-hydrolysés. Chaque polymère a été caractérisé par chromatographie d'exclusion stérique et par rhéologie capillaire dont les protocoles et techniques ont été optimisées. Les effets de la microstructure sur les propriétés physico-chimiques dimensionnelles, rhéologiques et complexantes ont été déterminés. Mes travaux de thèse doivent répondre aux deux questions principales suivantes : Quel est l'effet de la microstructure et de la dispersité du polymère sur le modèle ? Quelle(s) est (sont) la(les) limite(s) du modèle en termes d'application ? Mes travaux incluent donc l'élaboration de polymères modèles couvrant une large gamme de masses molaires (de quelques dizaines de milliers à plusieurs millions de g/mol). Les polymères modèles sont de structures variées allant d'homopolymères aux copolymères statistiques et à blocs. Après leur caractérisation complète (composition chimique et structure), les propriétés rhéologiques des solutions sont étudiées. Pour cela, mes travaux comprennent le développement, au sein du laboratoire et spécifiquement pour cette étude, d'un rhéomètre capillaire. Les résultats expérimentaux sont alors comparés au modèle établi pour les polymères industriels pour accroître le potentiel du modèle
The knowledge of the physico-chemical properties of polymer solutions for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is crucial to optimize the process. The purpose of this work was to consolidate and complete an universal viscosity model depending on C[η] parameter. The later allows taking into account the degree of interpenetration of polymer chains (critical concentration, C*, diluted and semi-diluted solutions). Various polymer parameters have been studied as the effects of microstructures, polymer size (molar mass and dispersity) as well as chemical composition. A library of polymer models was elaborated by controlled radical polymerization (RADT/MADIX). Series of polyacrylamides, statistical and asymmetric copolymers of acrylamide-sodium acrylate and post-hydrolyzed polyacrylamides were synthesized and characterized by steric exclusion chromatography and capillary rheology and the analytical protocols and techniques were optimized. The effects of the microstructure onto dimensional, rheological and complexation physico-chemical properties were determined

Understanding how temperature affects biological systems is a central question in ecology and evolutionary biology. Anthropogenic climate change adds urgency to this topic, as the demise or success of species under climate change is expected to depend on how temperature affects important aspects of organismal performance, such as growth, development, survival and reproduction. Rates of biological processes generally increase with increasing temperature up to some maximal temperature. Variation in the slope of the initial, rising phase has attracted considerable interest and forms the focus of this thesis. I explore variation in growth rate-temperature relationships over several levels of biological organization, both between and within species, over individuals’ lifetime, depending on the ecological context and in relation to important life history characteristics such as generation length and winter dormancy.       Specifically, I examine how a clade of temperate damselflies have adapted to their thermal environment along a 3,600 km long latitudinal transect spanning from Southern Spain to Northern Sweden. For each of six species, I sampled populations from close to the northern and southern range margin, as well from the center of the latitudinal range. I reared larvae in the laboratory at several temperatures in order to measure indiviudal growth rates. Very few studies of thermal adaptation have employed such an extensive sampling approach, and my finding reveal variation in temperature responses at several levels of organization.       My main finding was that temperature responses became steeper with increasing latitude, both between species but also between latitudinal populations of the same species. Additional genetic studies revealed that this trend was maintained despite strong gene flow. I highlight the need to use more refined characterizations of latitudinal temperature clines in order to explain these findings. I also show that species differ in their ability to acclimate to novel conditions during ontogeny, and propose that this may reflect a cost-benefit trade-off driven by whether seasonal transitions occur rapidly or gradually during ontogeny.       I also carried out a microcosm experiment, where two of the six species were reared either separately or together, to determine the interacting effects of temperature and competition on larval growth rates and population size structure. The results revealed that the effects of competition can be strong enough to completely overcome the rate-depressing effects of low temperatures. I also found that competition had stronger effects on the amount of variation in growth rates than on the average value.       In summary, my thesis offers several novel insights into how temperature affects biological systems, from individuals to populations and across species’ ranges. I also show how it is possible to refine our hypotheses about thermal adaptation by considering the interacting effects of ecology, life history and environmental variation.

Computing with mobile agents is rapidly becoming a topic of mainstream research in the theory of distributed computing. The main research questions undertaken in this study concern the feasibility of solving fundamental tasks in an anonymous network, subject to limitations on the resources available to the agent. The considered challenges include: exploring a graph by means of an agent with limited memory, discovery of the network topology, and attempting to meet with another agent in another network (rendezvous). The constraints imposed on the agent include the number of moves which the agent is allowed to perform in the network, the amount of state memory available to the agent, the ability of the agent to communicate with other agents, as well as its a priori knowledge of the network topology or of global parameters.

Emotion research is an important research topic, thus making the measurement of emotion in the workplace crucial. In attempting to study, understand and measure the role of emotions in the human condition, various researchers have identified different theoretical models to manage the information they have gathered and the observations they have made. In order to study or scientifically investigate any human behaviour, it is essential that such behaviour can be measured, if not quantitatively, then at least qualitatively. However, what one finds with regard to emotion research and measurement are two–dimensional models. The existing affect has been described with a choice of two dimensions and structures, i.e. circumplex, positive and negative affect, tense and energetic arousal, and eight combinations of pleasantness and activation. These two dimensions and structures measure a person’s experiences and, thereafter, report them. The question is if these two–dimensional emotion models are sufficient to cover the broad and often complex dynamics of emotions. The start of multiple–emotion dimension models were reported by researchers, who identified a three–dimensional structure in the emotion domain that is suggestive of the Evaluation–Potency– Activation (EPA) dimensions in the connotative or affective meaning of words. However, in recent studies the sufficiency of two–dimension models to comprehensively investigate emotions was questioned. The three–dimensional emotion model was replicated in cross–cultural similarity sorting studies by other researchers. The similarity sorting studies also indicate the importance of studying emotions in specific cultural contexts. Studying emotion in different cultures is especially relevant in a country such as South Africa that has a variety of cultures and eleven official languages. Researchers followed an approach that studied the meaning of emotion in different cultural groups in the context of 144 emotion features using a componential emotion theory approach. Researchers argue in the groundbreaking research that was published in Psychological Science that emotion meaning has more than only two dimensions. The approach postulated by researchers was tested in a student population of three language groups, namely Dutch–, Englishand French–speaking students. According to researchers this is an empirical and theoretical method to study the meaning of emotions across cultures. However, apart from studying the meaning of emotions in specific cultural groups, research also attempts to determine the meaning of emotion in the natural contexts in which they occur. The relevant natural contexts for the field of Industrial Psychology are the work contexts. It is therefore also important to investigate the categories of emotion episodes in the work environment. The general goal of this study was therefore a) to investigate the emotion lexicon in the white Afrikaans–speaking working adult language group, b) to determine the cognitive emotion structure of this cultural group, c) to investigate the meaning of emotion as comprehensively as possible (multidimensional models of the meaning of emotion), and d) to determine the meaning and content of emotion episodes in the workplace. Research Article 1 The research was subsequently presented in two independent phases. Firstly, a free listing of emotion terms was compiled, and secondly the emotion terms were prototypically rated by Afrikaans–speaking people in South Africa. Both of these were then used as measuring instruments. A survey was designed to explore the research objectives utilising availability samples in two studies. The participants in the free–listing (N=70) and in the prototypicality (N=70) study consisted of native Afrikaans–speaking employees. The sample consisted of participants from the white ethnic group speaking Afrikaans within the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga, North–West and KZN provinces and use was made of an availability sample. After conducting the research, the emotion terms with the highest frequency, as identified during the first study, the free listing task, were to be happy (gelukkig wees), be sad (hartseer wees), love (liefde), anger (kwaad) and hateful (haatlik). The emotion terms with the lowest scores as identified during the free listing were uncomfortable (ongemaklik), painful (seer), be hurt (seergemaak wees), sympathetic (simpatiek) and shout/yell (skreeu). Correspondingly, the five (5) prototypical terms with the highest scores in Afrikaans were nice (lekker), fed–up/had enough (gatvol/“genoeg gehad”), loveable (liefdevol), anger (kwaad) and to be scared (om bang te wees). The five (5) least prototypical terms from the list generated in the free listing task were: unstable (onvas), bashfulness (skugterheid), captivation (geboeidheid), envy (naywer) and delight (opgetoënheid). From the information obtained in this research it was revealed that the emotion terms nice (lekker), fed up/had enough (gatvol/“genoeg gehad”) and loveable (liefdevol) are at this stage unique to the white Afrikaans language group. These terms had not been reported in any previously conducted prototypical studies. The results of this study contribute to a cross–cultural understanding of the emotion concepts within the Afrikaans–speaking language groups in South Africa. Research Article 2 A survey design was used to achieve the research objectives utilising availability samples in a series of one study. The participants of the Similarity study (N=131) consisted of native Afrikaans–speaking employees. The sample consisted of participants from the white ethnicity group speaking Afrikaans within the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Free State, Mpumalanga, North– West, KZN and Northern Cape provinces and use was made of an availability sample. Results of Multidimensional Scaling revealed a three–dimensional cognitive emotion structure. The first dimension was the evaluation–pleasantness dimension. This dimension evaluates the pleasantness versus the unpleasantness of an emotion. This dimension is characterised by intrinsic appraisals of pleasantness and goal conduciveness and action tendencies of approach versus avoidance. The second dimension that emerged was a power–control dimension. This dimension is characterised by appraisals of control, how powerful or weak a person feels when a particular emotion is experienced. This includes feelings of dominance or submission, the impulse to act or withdraw and changes in speech and parasymphatic symptoms. The third dimension which emerged was an activation–arousal dimension. According to other researchers this arousal dimension is characterised by sympathetic arousal, e.g. rapid heartbeat and readiness for action. This study produced a cognitive emotion structure in a white Afrikaans–speaking working adult population in South Africa. To add value to the field of Industrial Psychology, the threedimension structure (evaluation–pleasantness, power–control and activation–arousal dimension) that was found, is very important and valuable when studying the meaning of emotion and can consequently be used as a reference for other emotion research constructs. If it is accurate as stated in literature, there are three and not only two emotion dimension structures, and researchers are missing out on a bigger picture for not drawing on the experience of emotion sufficiently. Research Article 3 A survey design and an availability sample (N=120) in the Eastern Cape, Free State and Gauteng provinces in South Africa was utilised for this study. The Meaning Grid was translated and backtranslated and adapted for use in Afrikaans. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were obtained for the emotion terms. According to the results of the Meaning Grid instrument, the following emotion terms were the highest: disgust (afkeur) 0,95; pleasure (plesier) 0,94; stress (stres) 0,92; happiness (blydskap) 0,91; joy (vreugde) 0,91; fear (bang) 0,91; anger (angstig) 0,91 and hate (haat) 0,90. The emotion terms that scored the lowest with the Meaning Grid instrument were compassion (medelye) 0,79; pride (trots) 0,79 and contempt (minagting) 0,74. Out of the 24 emotion terms of the Meaning Grid instrument, 8 terms were above 0,90 and 13 were between 0,80 and 0,89. Only 3 terms were between 0,74 and 0,79 [compassion (medelye), pride (trots) and contempt (minagting)]. A three–factor solution was found which represented four emotion dimensions (evaluation, arousal/unpredictability and power) that were universal to the emotion structures found in European samples. Factor scores of the 24 Meaning Grid emotions indicate a three–factor solution that explained 62,2 % of the total variance. The first factor was labelled evaluation and explained 43,0% of the variance, the second factor was labelled arousal/unpredictability as it was a combination of arousal and unpredictability and explained 11,0% of the variance, and the third factor was labelled power and explained 8,2% of the variance. This study followed an approach that investigated the meaning structure of emotion in the sample group in the context of 144 emotion features using a componential emotion theory approach. Different researchers argued that emotion meaning has more than only two dimensions. A three–dimensional emotion structure was found that was universal to the emotion structures of three language groups in a European sample. Therefore, the meaning of emotions for this sample group is far more complex than the two–dimensional emotion models that are found in literature. According to the componential emotion theory approach, the 144 emotion features are very important building blocks for Industrial Psychology when studying the meaning of emotion. Research Article 4 A survey design was used in this research study. The Episode Meaning Grid was administered and participants reported on the two intense emotion experiences at work (in total 358 episodes). Employees rated their emotion experiences on features based on the componential emotion theory and also described the emotion events in their own words. The participants in the emotion episodes (N=179) study consisted of native white Afrikaans–speaking working adults. The sample consisted of participants from the white ethnicity group speaking Afrikaans within the Eastern Cape, Free State and North–West provinces and use was made of an availability sample. The results indicated a three–dimensional structure (evaluation–pleasantness, activation–arousal and power–control dimension) was identified within a white Afrikaans–speaking working adult language group. The first dimension was an evaluation–pleasantness dimension. The second dimension was an activation–arousal dimension. The third dimension was a power–control dimension. Regarding the reporting of emotion episodes one hundred and ninety seven respondents reported 84 satisfying emotion episodes and 267 less satisfying emotion episodes that took place at work. Nine different categories of episodes for satisfying emotions experienced were mentioned. It consists of behaviour of work colleagues, acts of boss/superior/management, goal achievement, receiving recognition, workplace policy, task recognition, personal incidents, emotion involvement and subordinate behaviour. The three highest categories of satisfying emotions episodes were “Goal Achievement” (N=31), “Receiving Recognition” (N=20) and “Personal Incidents” (N=10). Goal achievement describes situations where job related targets or goals were met, and receiving recognition refers to positive feedback from managers, supervisors and work colleagues on meeting targets. Nineteen different categories of episodes for less satisfying emotion episodes were mentioned. It consists of behaviour of work colleagues, acts of boss/superior/management, lack of goal achievement, lack of receiving recognition, workplace policy, task requirement, personal incidents, emotional involvement, subordinate behaviour, workload, work mistakes, customer behaviour, external environment, lack of control, physical well–being, involvement in disciplinary action, workplace strikes, wellness of colleagues and unfairness in the workplace. In the categories of less satisfying emotions episodes, the three highest were “Behaviour of Work Colleagues” (N=58), “Acts of Boss/Superior/Management” (N=47) and “Task Requirement” (N=33). The first two categories are appraised less satisfying behaviour towards oneself or others by work colleagues, managers, supervisors and customers. In terms of the categories of satisfying and less satisfying emotions episodes, less satisfying emotion episodes outnumbered satisfying emotions episodes by three to one. By making use of a multi–componential emotion model, the results confirm that the four factors of pleasantness, power, arousal, and unpredictability, in that order of importance, are essential to satisfactorily determine the emotion experience and meaning of emotion terms. A threedimensional emotion structure (evaluation, arousal and power) was found after determining the meaning of emotion in the natural contexts in which they occur. The answer to the question if these two–dimensional emotion models, as stated in literature, are sufficient to cover the broad and often complex dynamics of emotion, is certainly no. Recommendations for the organisation and future research were made.
Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

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The present thesis defends that Hegel´s dialectic can be understood as a process of development, both from the standpoint of pure reason and from a perspective based on historical and political factors. The dialectic of the concept is a development of the consciousness of being with relation to an object so as to comprehend the universal content of the object. The preservation of what is in opposition in the dialectical synthesis is the nucleus of the idea of development and what gives it a positive, constructive and directional character as philosophical and historical process. From a strictly rational point of view, development is the progression of consciousness. From a historical perspective, development is the progressive manifestation of spirit, or Geist. Both means of development consolidate themselves with the enunciation of the concept, which envelops an internal and subjective determination as well as a normative element. The philosophical law contained in the concept reveals its intrinsic value and its comprehension becomes a constitutive part of being. The determination in terms of rule of law and moral values is the absolute determination towards which is driven the national spirit.
A presente tese defende a leitura da dialética de Hegel como um processo de desenvolvimento, tanto do ponto de vista racional quanto histórico e político. A dialética do conceito seria um desenvolvimento da consciência do sujeito com relação ao objeto de modo a apreender o conteúdo universal do objeto. A preservação do que é contrário na síntese dialética seria o núcleo da idéia de desenvolvimento, conferindo um caráter positivo, construtivo e direcional ao processo filosófico e histórico. Do ponto de vista estritamente racional, o desenvolvimento seria a progressão da consciência. Do ponto de vista histórico, o desenvolvimento seria a progressiva manifestação do espírito, ou Geist. Ambas instâncias de desenvolvimento se consolidam com a formação do conceito, que encerra em si um elemento de critério interno ao sujeito assim como um elemento normativo. A lei filosófica encerrada no conceito revela o valor intrínseco e seu conhecimento passa a ser atividade constitutiva do ser. A lei jurídica ou moral seria a enunciação do valor absoluto ao projeto do espírito nacional.

Les symétries géométriques jouent un rôle important dans la compréhension de la stabilité de tout système physique. En structure nucléaire, elles sont reliées à la forme du champ moyen utilisé pour décrire les propriétés des noyaux atomiques. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous avons utilisé les prédictions obtenues avec l'aide du Hamiltonien du champ moyen nucléaire avec le potentiel de Woods-Saxon Universel pour étudier les effets des symétries dites de « Haut-Rang ». Ces symétries ponctuelles mènent à des dégénérescences des états nucléaires d’ordre 4. Il est prédit que la symétrie tétraédrique influence la stabilité des noyaux proches des nombres magiques tétraédriques [Z,N]=[32,40,56,64,70,90-94,136]. Nous avons sélectionné la région des Terres-Rares proche du noyau doublement magique tétraédrique 154Gd pour notre étude. Dans cette région, il existe des structures de parité négative qui sont mal comprises. Or la symétrie tétraédrique, en tant que déformation octupolaire non-axiale, brise la symétrie par réflexion et doit produire des états de parité négative. Après une étude systématique des propriétés expérimentales des noyaux de la région, nous avons sélectionné le 156Gd comme objet de notre étude des modes d’excitation octupolaire. Nous avons utilisé les probabilités réduites de transition gamma pour discerner ces différents modes. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous avons réalisé trois expériences de spectroscopie gamma à l’ILL de Grenoble avec les détecteurs EXILL et GAMS afin de mesurer les durées de vie et les intensités des transitions gamma des états candidats. L'analyse de nos résultats montre que notamment la forme tétraédrique aide à comprendre les probabilités des transitions dipolaires. Ce résultat ouvre de nouvelles perspectives expérimentales et théoriques
Geometrical symmetries play an important role in the understanding of all physical systems. In nuclear structure they are linked to the shape of the mean-field used to describe the atomic nuclei properties. In the framework of this thesis, we have used the predictions obtained with the help of the nuclear mean-field Hamiltonian with the Universal Woods-Saxon potential to study the effects of the so-called “High-Rank” symmetries. These point-group symmetries lead to a nuclear state degeneracy of the order of 4. It is predicted that the tetrahedral symmetry affects the stability of nuclei close to the tetrahedral magic numbers [Z,N]=[32,40,56,64,70,90-94,136]. We have selected the Rare-Earth region close to the tetrahedral doubly magic nucleus 154Gd for our study. In this region, there exists negative parity structures poorly understood. Yet the tetrahedral symmetry, as related to a non-axial octupole deformation, breaks the reflection symmetry and leads to the negative parity states. Following a systematics of experimental properties of the nuclei in this region, we have selected 156Gd as the object of our study for the octupole excitation modes. We have used the reduced transitions probabilities to discriminate between these modes. To achieve this goal, we have performed three gamma spectroscopy experiments at the ILL in Grenoble with the EXILL and GAMS detectors to measure the lifetimes and the gamma transition intensities from the candidate states. The analysis of our results shows that including the tetrahedral shape helps to understand the dipole transition probabilities. This result will open new experimental and theoretical perspectives

The theme of Master Thesis is the Brno dam and its effective utilization. The very subject of this thesis is the Cultural and Social Center (the Center). The project follows a broad urban context and provides a new insight into the operation and use of this site. It contains a proposal of movement coordination and effective utilization of the most attractive areas closely related to the water surface. Cultural and Social Center is designed as a part of the landscape. It connects two levels of trails leading around the object. This connection is expressed through the dominant stairs. The program of the Center complements and evaluates leisure activities of the site, plus the Center offers an extraordinary space. Digital RGB spectrum system senses the current weather and converts the results into a graphic and scenic projection. Thanks to this system a new concept of space is continuously formed. The atmosphere, temperature, texture, intensity etc.. The visitor thus will never be a part of the same "exhibition." The first floor, (level +0,00m) around the water surface, is preferably used as a Cultural and Social Center. It has three naves of the Center, foyer with cafe and snacks, as well as it covers a DPMB building of cabeling. Few parts of the facade are designed as a sliding facade, thus visitors could stay in direct contact with the water surface and landscape. Second floor – (level +3,50m) is an spatial continuation on the Center and the rest is mostly used for technical security of the building. In foyer there is a second part of cafe – more private and relaxing room. Third floor (level +7,00m) is connected with the trail going around the building. At this level takes place leisure and educational center, which is complemented by the multifunction hall and an administrative facilities. The idea of landscape use is to provide an outdoor sports urban park a la Miralles urban parks.

Améliorer notre connaissance de la structure de l'eau dans l'environnement spécial offert par une interface est essentiel pour la compréhension de nombreux phénomènes naturels et applications technologiques. Pour révéler cette structure interfaciale de l'eau, des techniques capables de fournir des informations microscopiques, de manière sélective, pour cette couche interfaciale (BIL) sont nécessaires. Dans le présent travail de thèse, nous avons donc étudié les interfaces aqueuses au niveau moléculaire, en couplant la modélisation théorique à partir de simulations DFT-MD avec les spectroscopies SFG et THz-IR. En développant de nouveaux protocoles/outils d'investigation associant simulations DFT-MD et spectroscopie SFG, en particulier pour la rationalisation plus complexe des interfaces chargées, nous avons fourni une compréhension globale de l'effet des conditions interfaciales d'hydrophilicité, de pH, de force ionique sur le réseau des liaisons-H formé dans la couche interfaciale BIL, sur ses signatures spectroscopiques et sur son impact sur les propriétés physico-chimiques. Nous avons montré pour la première fois que, dans des conditions suffisamment hydrophobes, l'eau interfaciale crée des réseaux des liaisons-H bidimensionnels, révélé expérimentalement par les spectres THz-IR. Le réseau-2D dicte la dynamique de l'eau interfaciale, le potentiel de surface, l'acidité de surface, la tension superficielle et la thermodynamique d'hydratation des solutés hydrophobes. Cet "ordre horizontal" aux interfaces hydrophobes est opposé à "l'ordre verticale" obtenu aux interfaces hydrophiles. Nous avons aussi révélé comment les ions et les conditions de pH modifient ces arrangements structuraux
Improving our knowledge on water H-Bonded networks formed in the special environment offered by an interface is pivotal for our understanding of many natural phenomena and technological applications. To reveal the interfacial water arrangement, techniques able to provide detailed microscopic information selectively for the interfacial layer are required. In the present thesis work, we have hence investigated aqueous interfaces at the molecular level, by coupling theoretical modeling from DFT-MD simulations with SFG & THz-IR spectroscopies. By developing new investigation protocols/tools, coupling DFT-MD simulations and SFG spectroscopy, in particular for the more complex rationalization of charged interfaces, we have provided a global comprehension of the effect of various interfacial conditions (hydrophilicity, pH, ionic strength) on the HB-Network formed in the interfacial layer (BIL), on its spectroscopic signatures and on its impact on physico-chemical properties. We have shown for the first time that, in sufficiently hydrophobic conditions, BIL interfacial water creates special 2-Dimensional HB-Networks, experimentally revealed by one specific THz-IR marker band. Such 2D-network dictates HBs and orientational dynamics of interfacial water, surface potential, surface acidity, water surface tension and thermodynamics of hydration of hydrophobic solutes. Such "horizontal ordering” of water at hydrophobic interfaces is found opposite to the “vertical ordering” of water at hydrophilic interfaces, while coexistence of the two orders leads to disordered interfacial water in intermediate hydrophilic/hydrophobic conditions. Both DFT-MD and SFG further revealed how ions & pH conditions alter these BIL-water orders

Tres ideas fundamentales: el correlato neuronal musicopictórica, la posible existencia de universales en la música y la pintura, y el fenómeno de la evocación pictórica
Threefundamental ideas: The neural music painting correlate, the possibility of universals in music and painting and the phenomenon of music painting evocation<
Fazit: Drei Wesentliche ideen: Das neuronales musicopictorisches korrelat, Mögliche universalien in musik und malerei und das phänomen der evocation zwischen musik und malerei

This thesis deals with the synthesis and optimization of frequency analogue filters with modern active elements usable for higher frequencies. The thesis is divided into three parts, the first part deals with the problematic concerning Leap-Frog combined ARC structure. Due to a difficult design, this method is not described in a detail and used in practice, although it shows e.g. low sensitivity. Firstly, a complete analysis of individual filters was made (for and T endings) and consequently these findings were used during implementation of this method to NAF program. Finally, samples of real filters were realized (for verification of functioning and correct design). Another very interesting topic concerning filters is usage of coupled band-pass for small bandwidth, where it is necessary to solve the problems concerning ratio of building elements values, but also price, quality, size of coils, sensitivity, Q factors, coefficients etc. That is why in practice a coil is very often substituted with other equivalent lossy and lossless blocks which create ARC filters structure. The design and the possibility of usage of lossy grounded elements were described here (such as synthetic inductors, frequency dependent negative resistor). Some parts of the design are individual computer sensitivity analysis, setting of usage and quality comparison of individual lossy grounded blocks. Besides, a program for these elements was created, it is useful for a quick design and depiction of transfer characteristics. The third part deals with the usage of tuning universal filters consisting three or more operational amplifiers, which secures its universality and possibility to create different kinds of transfer characteristic. In practice, Akerberg - Mossberg and Kerwin - Huelsman - Newcomb are the most used types of filters. These were also compared with less common universal filters. In the end, the possibility of digital tuning of universal filter with the help of digital potentiometers for filters of 10th order and frequency around 1 MHz was shown.